F.A.T.: Satan's Dream [1977]
F.A.T.: Feelings [1977]

Eric "Fat" Gallon released his sole solo effort under the name F.A.T. These are two of the eight tracks off Funky and Tough.

David Ruffin: Walk Away From Love

"So I'm leaving
This time I'm playing it smart
I'm gonna walk away from love
Before love breaks my heart."

>>posted by SPC

bonus cut: the extended album version, now available on CD

American Beauty: I Rule! (1970 Firebird) [1999]

For summer's last hooray...

Jackson C. Frank: Milk And Honey [1965]
John Frusciante: Dying Song [2003]

Off the soundtrack to Vincent Gallo's The Brown Bunny. Gallo is a genius. A somewhat disturbed genius, but a genius. This soundtrack nearly captures depression as well as the movie does.

As far as I know, the soundtrack was only released in Japan, but you can pick one up here at a premium price. Or find some other way to get it, but this soundtrack is definitely worth a listen.

Sly & The Family Stone: If You Want Me To Stay

A top 20 hit, "If You Want Me to Stay" was a 1973 single by Sly & the Family Stone, from the Fresh album. This is what I lovingly refer to as Sly's drug voice, which also surfaced on "Family Affair".

>>posted by SPC

a note from Emmett: I'm throwing in In Time as a bonus cut, because A) it rules so hard, B) it features a legendary performance from Andy Newmark (playing along with a drum machine), and C) according to something I read once, Miles Davis was obsessed with it.

Gavin Bryars: String Quartet No. 1 "Between the National and the Bristol" [1986]

Released on Three Viennese Dancers, Gavin wrote this about this piece:

"Until then I had never considered writing a quartet partly because, although a string player myself, as a bassist I found myself outside the quasi-privacy of such an ensemble. However, as a way of ingratiating myself into this closed world I introduced aspects of the double bass into the piece. The passage with cello and viola playing heavily in octaves in the bottom register, for example, simulates the sound of the bass, and extended solos in natural harmonics, such as those in the coda, are part of the bass's technique...
When I started to write the piece, my initial idea had been to write a quartet in which each instrument would relate to a composer associated with it as a player, the whole quartet serving as a kind of imaginary séance bringing them together. In this scenario the composers were Ysayë, Vieuxtemps, Hindemith (or Kupkovic), and Schönberg."

I believe this one is out of print, but you can find used copies here.

Big Audio Dynamite: Medicine Show

Off the first post-Clash Mick Jones record, by Big Audio Dynamite. Great wri-thum riff by Mick, and it also combines with clips from Clint's spaghetti westerns with Leone. Mick is very cool, by the way. I hopped onstage at an NYC show and he waved off the bouncer and let me sing chorus with him.

>>posted by SPC

Joe Jackson: You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)

A truly inspirational Joe Jackson song, when at that time weren't too many. Hearing Can't Get Whatchu Want always gave me a boost.

>>posted by SPC

Ten City: That's The Way Love Is

'88 dance song. Only heard on BLS in '88, because they were played at the Garage, and Chief Rocker, Frankie Crocker, was a Garage devotee. Some def shit.

>>posted by SPC

The East St. Louis Gospelettes: Have Mercy On Me

Today's selection comes to us courtesy of my man DJ Wicz, who has put together a fabulous compilation of '70s gospel entitled In God's Hands. See here for all the juicy details and ordering info.

Also: I'm taking a staycation this week and my main man Kool DJ SPC is coming in for relief duty. I'll be back after Labor Day. Like The Tempos said, "See you in September..."

Dead Kennedys: Holiday In Cambodia [1980]
Dead Kennedys: Too Drunk To Fuck [1981]

Nouvelle Vague's version of TDTF led me back to DK, a band I hadn't listened to in quite a while. Classic.

Buy the career-spanning compilation Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death here.

Stevie Wonder: Lookin' For Another Pure Love [1972]

"Things you cherish most in your life,
Can be taken if they're left neglected,
Leavin a problem in your life."

(Jeff Beck on lead guitar.)

Richie Havens: Going Back To My Roots

Described as the 25th most Balearic recording of all-times by djhistory.com, and as a "real toe-tapper" by one anonymous Amazon reviewer, this cut features Sly & The Family Stone alumnus and session legend Andy Newmark on drums. (Andy may have flown directly from this session to the Roxy Music "Avalon" sessions in the Bahamas.)

I would also like to add that Richie's voice sounds great on this.

from the album Connections

executive producer: Michael Lang

written by Lamont Dozier

Not talking bout the root in the land...I'm talking bout the root in the man.

Damn Sam The Miracle Man & The Soul Congregation: Smash

Siouxsie & The Banshees: Christine [1980]

Seminal New Wave.

Buy Kaleidoscope here.

Casino Music: Faites Le Proton [1979]

With:
Gilles Riberolles - Guitar
Eric Weber - Bass
Jean-Michel Lemeur - Drums
Anatole Mundi - Piano

Buy Casino Music here.

The Police: Synchronicity II

Lyrically and musically, this song was a stroke of "g".

Well done, lads.

ULTIMATE ALBUM SIDE PLUS TWO

Orlandivo: Orlandivo [1977]

Lado A:
Tudo Jóia
Um Abraço No Bengil
Gueri-Gueri
Tamanco No Samba*
Juazeiro

bonus cuts from Lado B:
Onde Anda O Meu Amor
Bolinha De Sabão

arranged by João Donato, and featuring João on all keyboards

*This tune "Tamanco No Samba" in particular is kind of my jammer of the summer so far. Orlandivo really funks up the vocals on the 3rd verse (beginning at 2:19).

Tina Turner: Backstabbers [1979]

Off Tina's less-than-successful 1979 foray into disco.

Buy other Tina here.

Howard Tate: Stop

produced by Jerry Ragovoy

This is the mono mix, taken from the box set Beg, Scream & Shout.

REMINDER: The next installment of our radio show drops (in other words, "begins") today at 2 PM on Viva Radio. Not unlike last week's program, today's show is comprised mainly of highlights from the early days of this blog. As always, you can listen to the archived shows at your convenience at viva-radio.com/artdecade.

Alarm Will Sound: Gwely Mernans [2005]
Alarm Will Sound: Jynweythek Ylow [2005]

Alarm Will Sound is an interesting young orchestra of virtuosi who convincingly play challenging modern pieces. These two tracks are from a 2005 album of Aphex Twin covers.

More Aphex Twin with Brian Eno here.

Buy Acoustica: Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin here.

TWO FOR TUESDAY

Pilot:
January
Canada

According to my sources, January was Pilot's biggest hit in the UK, although it sank like a stone in the US. Very hard to argue with the handclaps on this.

Bryan Ferry: A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall [1973]

Here's another Dylan cover. 24 years before releasing Dylanesque Bryan Ferry released this Dylan cover on These Foolish Things.

Buy These Foolish Things here.

Joe Cocker: Seven Days [1982]

I was mildly amused to see a poster advertising a Joe Cocker concert in a city I visited this summer. I hope he's retained the band that backed him up in the YouTube video below. I highly recommend watching the last 40 seconds of the song, beginning around 4:50. I hope Dylan collected his royalty check.



Buy Joe Cocker here..

Billy Paul: East

written by T.W. Brown

produced by Gamble-Huff

from the album Going East

Leonard Cohen: Master Song [1968]

I recently realized that Leonard Cohen has never appeared on this blog. This one's off his debut.

Buy Songs of Leonard Cohen here.

The Bălănescu Quartet: Computer Love

from Possessed

Jerry Garcia & David Grisman: Milestones [1992]

Seems appropriate.

Buy So What here.

I am back with a Mac and it turns out that blogging with a Mac is a bitch.

Rolling Stones: Hot Stuff

from Love You Live

recorded "live" in Paris, June, 1976

artwork by Andy Warhol

If anyone's in the market for a new metal detector, check out the new Bill Wyman Detector.

NOTA BENE: We're very pleased to announce that we have a radio show now, at the excellent Viva Radio. The show will be Wednesdays at 2 PM, starting today. The first show features standout tracks from the early days of this blog (in case you missed them the first time), and kicks off with my favorite track that I've ever posted here. Check it out. You can also listen to our archived Viva shows at any time by going to viva-radio.com/artdecade.

Nice.

Family Fodder: Cerf Volant

from Monkey Banana Kitchen

Gabor Szabo:
Love Theme From Spartacus*
Sombrero Sam#
Country Illusion@

* written by Alex North
# written by Charles Lloyd
@ written by Wolfgang Melz

from the album Magical Connection

Calexico: Sunken Waltz [2003]
Calexico: Dub Latina [2003]


Music for a hot summer afternoon. These both come from 2003's Feast of Wire album. I think I first listened to Calexico on Foster Street, so, Big B, this is for you old chum!

Percy Faith: First Light [1973]

from the album pictured above

written by Freddie Hubbard

arranged & conducted by Percy Faith

The Beach Boys: Sail On Sailor [1973]


Greetings. I just got the Holland/Carl and the Passions CD and have been listening to it a lot lately (well, Holland anyway - C and the P's not so much). This from that. That's Blondie Chaplin on vocals, if you're interested.

On another note, did anyone catch the Stax Records documentary on PBS last night? I saw very little, but that very little looked good.

CAN: I Want More and More [1976]

Cobbled together from tracks 1 and 4 off of Flow Motion. Michael Karoli taking a page from Bo Diddley's book with his guitar work here.

Toots & The Maytals: Get Up, Stand Up [1979]

from the classic Pass The Pipe

Reggae Sunsplash 2K7 continues (we seem to have heeded Davy's clarion call to add more reggae to the blogosphere. Cheers, Davy -- and happy birthday!)

This is an LP my dad had so I heard this a lot as a lad. (Cheers, Dad.)

bonus beats: the same song, vinyl-ripped from my dad's copy

Note that this is not a cover of the Marley/Tosh classic but an entirely different tune of Toots's own devising.

lead vocals: Toots Hibbert
background vocals: Jerry Mathias and Raleigh Gordon

Get on the morning train
For the evening train will be too late